Photo Essay - Drunk Driver In Northbridge

[Phildo]

Shortly before 5am I was driving along Newcastle Street as I headed back into the war zone in my taxi. I came across a car parked very oddly on the side of the road.

Turned out the guy was drunk... and missed the road. The driver was sitting in the front, on his phone to the RAC to get a tow truck. He was oblivious to the fact that he'd crashed. He didn't even mind that I was walking around taking photos.

I quietly called the police, who arrived about 20 minutes later. I didn't manage to find out exactly what he blew, but I did overhear something about 0.15 and "almost four times the limit", so I'm gonna take a guess that he was in excess of 0.15 (ie driving under the influence) and blew a 0.18 or 0.19.

He was loaded into the back of the police car and I left.

Photos:

[Jim Goose]

maybe should go in the epic fail thread???
hopefully he will wake up to himself

[FGII-XR6]

Originally Posted by Jim Goose

maybe should go in the epic fail thread???
hopefully he will wake up to himself

or maybe we need a looser thread

[fmc351]

Originally Posted by au3xr6

or maybe we need a looser thread

How loose do you want it?


Just one 'o'.

[Kryton]

Shame about the Maxima.
Such a good car (anyone thats ever driven one will know what i mean).

[Ford_The_Win]

Hopefully they throw the book at him and it knocks him out.
One thing I am particularly intolerant of is people who drink drive. It's such a selfish thing to do.

[xisled]

I know what he has done may be wrong, but IMO you should have blocked his face and number plate on the car. Just do not think we should be plastering his number plate and face over the net.

[SEZ213]

Originally Posted by xisled

I know what he has done may be wrong, but IMO you should have blocked his face and number plate on the car. Just do not think we should be plastering his number plate and face over the net.

Agreed...you don't have the physical proof that he's committed a drink driving offence, except what you've overheard, which is technically heresay. Perhaps get a mod to render the images?

[Phildo]

Originally Posted by Sezzy

Agreed...you don't have the physical proof that he's committed a drink driving offence, except what you've overheard, which is technically heresay.

Oh, he was very drunk. I could smell it on his breath if I was anywhere near him. The police commented the same, and had the breathalizer out straight away. There's no secret hidden conspiracy on this one.

Actually, I regret not getting his phone number. He really isn't a bad, evil person, but he did make an incredibly stupid decision. I would happily pass the photos on to him, which he can then show friends and family as a lesson about drink driving. I have no doubt that this person is extremely repentant and regretful by now.

In regard to the face and licence plates, it's a public place. If you're going to drive a car ****ed and crashed, it's probably best to not choose one of the main roads in Perth if you want to keep it quiet. His face is in one photo, and that's pretty blurred as it is.

For anyone that isn't familiar with Perth, Northbridge is the main social area, similar to Kings Cross in Sydney. So, at 5am, that area is full of drunk people wandering around aimlessly. This driver was only a few hundred metres away from being in that area. Considering he was incapable of missing a stationary tree and bollard, I doubt that he would have been able to identify and miss a wandering drunk pedestrian.

This guy probably takes the award for most polite ****y driver ever. Once he believed that the RAC were coming he just hung around patiently. That also lines him for the award for stupidest drink driver ever - he could have walked away and gotten away with it. With the time it took for police to get there, he wasn't lacking in opportunity to walk off.

On another note, I am aware that a lot of asian people have a strong reaction to alcohol. There was even a conversation in the taxi a couple of months ago with some asian guys who were comparing notes on the "asian flush" and how it affects each of them.

This isn't about being racist, it's a biological fact. Anyone that is serving/supplying alcohol to an asian person would want to have some awareness of this and keep an eye on their asian friends/girlfriends.

A quick look on Google reveals:

From: http://madminerva.blog-city.com/asia...ntolerance.htm
“Roughly half of all people of east-Asian descent (including Chinese, Japanese, and Korean) lack an enzyme necessary for the efficient metabolism of alcohol. For readers who like biology stuff, this enzyme is known as the low-Km aldehyde dehydrogenase isoenzyme, or in short, ADH.

The absence of this enzyme is the culprit for your flushed cheeks and feelings of sickness in response to alcohol use. Without this enzyme, the byproduct of alcohol (the toxic aldehyde dehydrogenase) cannot be removed from the bloodstream nearly as well as it is in people who do have the enzyme. The aldehyde accumulates in a person's system as a result because it cannot be broken down as quickly.

A person with this condition is likely to experience toxic effects such as flushing, rapid heartbeat, headache, nausea, drowsiness, swelling and skin itchiness. In addition, it is easier to get drunk upon consumption of even just a few alcoholic beverages.

While this condition can be seen as an inconvenience, epidemiological studies have shown that because of these adverse side effects, people of Asian descent tend to consume less alcohol, and therefore rates of alcohol use and incidence of alcoholism are lower than those of other ethnic groups.”

From: http://www.wisegeek.com/do-people-of...ng-alcohol.htm
“Some people of Asian descent have noticed that they have difficulty handling alcohol, expressed by excessive facial redness, sweating, increased body temperature, and a higher heart rate after consuming a small amount of alcohol. This syndrome is called “Asian flush” and can be deeply embarrassing, especially if it arrives unexpectedly. This causes many people to think that people of Asian descent cannot process alcohol, although this is not strictly true. Asian flush can affect non-Asians as well, but the genetic mutation that causes it is much more common among people of Asian descent.

When most people consume alcohol, it is processed by two liver enzymes. The first, alcohol dehydrogenase, converts the alcohol to acetaldehyde. The second, aldehyde dehydrogenase, converts the acetaldehyde into acetic acid, which can then be broken down into carbon dioxide and water, which can be harmlessly expressed from the body. With excessive consumption, this process can take some time, as most college students have discovered, but the liver will eventually metabolize the alcohol.

Many people of Asian descent, however, have a genetic mutation that limits the formation of aldehyde dehydrogenase, resulting in a build up of acetaldehyde, which can be toxic in large quantities. The symptoms of Asian flush are indicators that the toxin has built up enough to cause the body to try to get rid of it through sweat or vomiting in extreme cases. If Asian flush sets in, alcohol consumption should be discontinued for the evening to allow the body to metabolize the alcohol already in one's system.

Asian flush, like all alcohol tolerance issues, is to some extent genetic. It can also be affected by factors such as body type or whether or not food has been consumed with the meal. Asian flush does not act in the same way for all people it affects. Some, for example, can drink several beers before suffering ill effects, while others can have only a small amount of alcohol before feeling ill. It is a good idea for all people to understand the limits of their body and not to exceed them.

There is evidence to suggest that some measures can be taken to decrease the effects of Asian flush. Consumption of sugars has been linked with an increased ability to metabolize alcohol. Victims of Asian flush might want to consider ordering drinks with a high fructose content or eating sweets shortly before drinking. It is also a good idea to avoid spicy foods and warm ambient temperatures, which will lead to flushing even without alcohol.”

From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcohol..._ethnic_groups
An estimated one out of three people in East Asian countries have an alcohol flush reaction, colloquially known as "Asian Glow", a condition where the body cannot break down ingested alcohol completely because it lacks the genetically coded enzyme that performs this function in the bodies of drinkers with "European" tolerance levels. Flushing, or blushing, is associated with the erythema (reddening caused by dilation of capillaries) of the face, neck, and shoulder, after consumption of alcohol.

And, for a full article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcohol_flush_reaction
(Wayyyyyyyyyyyyy too much to copy and paste here).

[Burnout]

I've been waiting for an opportunity for this one:

"It's all OK, he's from S.A."

[Jim Goose]

Originally Posted by xisled

I know what he has done may be wrong, but IMO you should have blocked his face and number plate on the car. Just do not think we should be plastering his number plate and face over the net.

Why not?

You cant be sued for slander if its true....

[fmc351]

Originally Posted by Sezzy

Agreed...you don't have the physical proof that he's committed a drink driving offence, except what you've overheard, which is technically heresay. ...

No it isnt. When someone else tells you what they heard and you repeat it as if it was proof, that is hearsay. As an example, if one of us readers here were to use the OPs observations as evidence, we would be engaging in hearsay. But the OP is directly relaying his own observations which is eyewitness testimony, if this was a court. What he overheard the police say would be hearsay, but given the police would be available to cross examine, that would likely be excluded from the hearsay rule.

To paraphrase (I dont recall it in detail) a standard example.
Tom Thumb cant lead evidence that Thumbellina told him that she saw Jill push Jack down the hill. However, Thumbellina can speak of what she heard Jill say to Jack before and after she pushed him, as she was a witness to that and can be cross examined on that assertion.

Tom would simply be repeating what he heard someone else say about an event, he has no evidence to be cross examined except whether or not he was told it, but has no value as a witness toward proving if the event took place as he heard it.

However, if Jill was suing Thumbellina for defamation, then Toms evidence would not be hearsay.

[MAGPIE]

Classic thread, nice work

Typically a couple of Nana's arrive and start preaching the usual waffle

[BFZF8]

He should have been locked up for the shoes alone!

In all seriousness though, he made a silly decision and is lucky he didn't hurt himself or someone else. I hope he's learned his lesson.

[Road Games]

fmc351 my hat's off to you sir ... nothing further to add here...

[deesun]

Considering the small amount of damage i'm surprised the airbag went off.

[aussie muscle]

it must be an interesting feeling the next day seeing how much damage you've done to your car.

Homer after night out: "look what those punk kids did to my car!"

deesun, the bollard would have set it off before bending over. (it's that black thing under the front of his car)

[Phildo]

Originally Posted by deesun

Considering the small amount of damage i'm surprised the airbag went off.

Airbags are set off by seat belt sensors, not by anything in the front of the car.

When there is a strong, sudden jolt on the seat belt, the airbag is deployed.

This is why air bags are useless for people that aren't wearing a seat belt.

In this case, there would have been a very sudden stop when the car hit the bollards - there were two of them, one each side of the tree. This stop, and sudden jolt on the seat belt, would have triggered the airbag.

The driver's seat belt would have certainly prevented injury.

[onemanempire]

Originally Posted by Kryton

Shame about the Maxima.
Such a good car (anyone thats ever driven one will know what i mean).

I am a fan of the A32 Maxima (the one in the pics).
I owned one for 7 years. Mine was a Gold A32 Series one GV spec.
The one pictured is a series 2 or 3. Different grill tail lights boot garnish wheels etc.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QiA2njVWkDE


I purchased it for $7000 with 99,900 kms on it.
It went to Melbourne from Adelaide many times. 3.0L V6 quad cam.. it used to return 6.6L to the hundred kays at the speed limit using cruise control all the way.
Top speed of 211 kays, and quicker than a v6 commie at the time.


Fully loaded, adjustable suspension, sun roof, climate, leather, 6 way adjustable power seats, premium sound system... If you held the unlock button on the remote for 3 seconds it would roll down the two front windows.. great for letting the hot out in summer.
Cost like 60k new...
After i clocked up over 350,000 kays on it it still did not leak or use oil.
Why don't i have it now? So dumb MUTT turned right on me at an intersection and killed it. I am still spewing about this 15 years on.. /rant off/

[Blue Dog]

Originally Posted by Phildo

Airbags are set off by seat belt sensors, not by anything in the front of the car.

When there is a strong, sudden jolt on the seat belt, the airbag is deployed.

This is why air bags are useless for people that aren't wearing a seat belt.

In this case, there would have been a very sudden stop when the car hit the bollards - there were two of them, one each side of the tree. This stop, and sudden jolt on the seat belt, would have triggered the airbag.

The driver's seat belt would have certainly prevented injury.

It's my understanding the SRS Module will activate the airbags determined by the crash sensors.
If the impact is not severe the SRS Module may only activate the seatbelt pretensioners & not the airbags.

[marty351]

Originally Posted by onemanempire

I am a fan of the A32 Maxima (the one in the pics).
I owned one for 7 years. Mine was a Gold A32 Series one GV spec.
The one pictured is a series 2 or 3. Different grill tail lights boot garnish wheels etc.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QiA2njVWkDE


I purchased it for $7000 with 99,900 kms on it.
It went to Melbourne from Adelaide many times. 3.0L V6 quad cam.. it used to return 6.6L to the hundred kays at the speed limit using cruise control all the way.
Top speed of 211 kays, and quicker than a v6 commie at the time.


Fully loaded, adjustable suspension, sun roof, climate, leather, 6 way adjustable power seats, premium sound system... If you held the unlock button on the remote for 3 seconds it would roll down the two front windows.. great for letting the hot out in summer.
Cost like 60k new...
After i clocked up over 350,000 kays on it it still did not leak or use oil.
Why don't i have it now? So dumb MUTT turned right on me at an intersection and killed it. I am still spewing about this 15 years on.. /rant off/

IIRC, the Nissan 3 litre V6 in the Maxima was awarded engine of the year in the early-mid 2000's.

[Tonz]

shakes ones head, why drag up old threads 2011

[jaydee]

Originally Posted by Tonz

shakes ones head, why drag up old threads 2011

Went deeep to find that story.

[prktkljokr]

Offenders up to his 35th car crash by now

[Itsme]

Originally Posted by Tonz

shakes ones head, why drag up old threads 2011

Ehhh, because one can when post topics are still opened to be commented on, you will be surprised how many people will crawl through forums reading up on 0ld topics looking for info or subject matter.

[onemanempire]

Originally Posted by Tonz

shakes ones head, why drag up old threads 2011

Huh? WTF? I was replying to a thread by Phildo after reading one of his excellent write ups. I stumbled across this thread after finding my answer, and responded accordingly.
Why chime in?


Not trying to start a war here, but, everything i said is and or was relevant to the poster I replied to. Might even help someone out one day. So why hassle me about it...